You’re already dead: Ars reviews Dead Space: Extraction

Dead Space: Extraction is that rare beast, a story-based light gun game that …

Dead Space: Extraction plays with your expectations. It's the second game in the franchise, but EA decided to go the prequel route this time around to show gamers what happened before the events of the first game. Considering that game began with the main character landing on a derelict ship overrun by monsters, Extraction has a shaking, dire feel to it. In a very real way, you already know what happens to the "good guys": they lose.

The game features a stunning introductory level, and you'll quickly get the sense that EA did not take the safe way out with this game. The environments and characters look great, with recognizable monsters, environments, and weapons from the first game. It's risky to create a game that leans so hard on its predecessor from another platform, but for those out there with both a 360 or PS3 and a Wii, this is a rare treat. Another part of the story is being told in a completely new style of game, with a new interface, on a new system.

Don't let that fool you, though; this is everything you loved about Dead Space, re-imagined.

You'll use those buttons

For an on-rails shooting title, you use an impressive number of buttons on the Wiimote and Nunchuk. You have to twist the controller on its side to activate secondary fire, which you'll use often if you want to survive, and you also have to point at items on the screen to grab them (this is how you upgrade weapons and gain ammo). The analog stick on the Nunchuk chooses the weapon, while the buttons allow you to reload and fire the stasis gun, which slows down enemies and gives you more time to fight back the hordes.

The controller is used in other ways, as well; some sections force you to construct barricades by riveting steel onto a door—which looks and feels like the tense welding scenes from James Cameron's Aliens—and you'll have to "hack" into computer systems by tracing along circuit boards without touching the obstacles. This is little more than a science fiction version of the board game operation, but it's used sparingly enough that it's a nice twist, not an annoyance.

In fact, the entire game keeps your interest by offering a story and character you'll actually care about, while keeping the action interesting with a steady supply of new and upgraded weapons. Revisiting the Ishimura and seeing familiar settings in a new context is also welcome; the game even re-creates the zero gravity sections of its big brother by having you point at sections you want to jump to when your character ventures off into space. The heavy breathing and dense thuds of your guns in open space remains creepy and wonderfully atmospheric. Not only are you being hunted by hellish creatures, but the environment itself feels unforgiving.

The game's strategic dismemberment mechanic was also made for this sort of play. You can simply blast away at an enemy's main body mass, but you'll waste a ton of ammo that way. The best way to deal with enemies is to take out a limb or two, and THEN go for the head. Hit a charging mutant with a stasis blast and then pick off an arm or two at leisure. So much fun.

For the long haul

The game features ten chapters, and the story and progression make you actually want to see them all; this is the first light gun game that didn't make me feel like I'd be having more fun at the arcade. Co-op is supported, with the players actually having to work together in some sections, and you'll also unlock challenge maps as you compete for high scores.

As if that wasn't enough, the game features the Dead Space motion comic if you want to explore the background and world of the game, and since you're graded on your performance on every level, there's plenty of reason to go back and see if you can perform better. Multiple difficulty levels and the inability to carry more than four guns, meaning you can try levels again with a different loadout, make this a game that's easy to return to repeatedly.

When was the last time a light gun game pulled that off?

The on-rails shooter is one of the most cinematic genres, and this is one of the rare times it's used in a way that not only serves a greater story but is genuinely scary. The game even offers limited areas where you can look around at will, mostly to find items or to grab ammunition.

Dead Space as a light gun game feels natural, well thought out, and the game looks and sounds great. It's also a Mature-rated title, which in terms of sales is usually the kiss of death on the Wii, but this is one worth buying. EA took the Wii seriously as a platform and took Dead Space seriously as a franchise. The quality that resulted is one of the more pleasant surprises in recent memory.